Love and Hate
by Charlie Fire
Summary: A new girl shows up at Hollywood Arts and makes Tori question everything. Are she and Jade really frenemies or something else entirely?
1. Chapter 1: Questionable Situation

Chapter 1: Questionable situation

Cat Valentine rushed up to her friend, Tori, who stood at her locker.

"Hey, Tori," she said with a giggle.

Tori looked at the bubbly redhead. "Hey, Cat. What's up?"

"There's a new girl, and she looks just like you."

"Really? Where?"

Cat pointed to the front doors of Hollywood Arts. A girl stood near them, gazing in awe at the people around her: some boys having a dance battle, a girl playing a saxophone, a singing quartet. Her mouth formed the word "Wow". Tori's eyebrows wrinkled in confusion.

"She doesn't look anything like me," she said. "You do realize that she's black, right, Cat?"

"So?" Cat said, not understanding.

"I'm Hispanic." Tori had to be patient with her bipolar friend, but it was hard for her not to snap at the girl.

"But she looks just like you did on your first day here." It made perfect sense to Cat.

"Oh." It finally dawned on Tori. "I guess I see your point."

Cat nodded, her hair bobbing right along with the motion of her head.

"Gotta run. See you in class." Cat disappeared around the corner. Tori waved bye.

She had been impressed with Hollywood Arts on her first day just like the new girl. She was amazed that such a school existed and that she got to be part of it. At first, she had chafed at going to the same school as her sister, but now she was here and loved every minute of it.

"Vega." Someone called her by her last name.

Well, almost every minute.

"Hey, Jade," Tori said. "How are you?"

The pale, dark-haired girl shrugged. "I could be worse."

She was doing surprising well despite her breakup with her longtime boyfriend, Beck. Or maybe it was just a front. Tori could never tell with her. Jade was so good at hiding her emotions that it seemed like she didn't have any. The first time she and Beck had broken up was the first and only time Tori had seen her cry. Why was this breakup different?

"What are you doing this weekend?" Jade asked.

_Oh chizz_. Tori thought._ Cat told me about how Jade had accompanied her while she was dog sitting for her mom's boss. Jade must want to tag along with me this weekend. I gotta come up something. Something that Jade would hate doing._

"I have to help Trina practice for a part in the musical," she said.

Jade cringed, her eyebrows narrowing and her scowl deepening. She took a deep breath. "Sounds fun," she said in an oddly high pitched voice. "I'll come by at six."

Tori's face fell. How could that not have worked? Jade hates Trina! Everyone does. She must be really lonely.

"Okay," Tori said hesitantly.

The school bell rang, and students moved toward their respective classes. Tori and Jade walked into Sikowitz's class together, but they didn't sit by each other. Jade sat in the back, and Tori went to the first row, taking the seat on Robbie's left. Sometimes Jade could be as bipolar as Cat, and she had an ongoing rocky friendship with Tori. Tori didn't mind; she was just glad that Jade considered her a friend.

"Hey, pretty thang," Rex's obnoxious voice spoke out in the room.

The puppet sat on Robbie's lap. Tori was about to respond to him when she realized that he wasn't talking to her; he was talking to the girl sitting on the other side of Robbie. The new girl.

"Are you for real?" the girl said. "You do know that the puppet is a device for you to express your inner self. You use him to say the things that you can't."

Everyone laughed while Robbie looked horrified.

"What?! Rex isn't a puppet. And that other stuff is not true. Rex is a person."

"Yeah, this fool is nothing like me. Not even his inner self," Rex said.

The girl rolled her eyes and muttered "whatever" under her breath.

Sikowitz entered the room and leaped onto the stage with a coconut in hand. He sipped on his drink through a straw and stared out at his students. Five minutes passed before he said anything, and everyone just stared at him in silence. Suddenly, he pointed at the new girl. She didn't even flinch at his sudden motion. Could she be as fearless as Beck?

"Who…are…you?" he said. "Come up on the stage and introduce yourself."

The girl got on stage and turned to face her classmates. Tori offered her a smile for confidence which the girl didn't seem to notice. She tucked her hands into her pockets.

"I'm Felicity Aarons," she said, waving. "I just moved here from South Carolina."

"Ah, a South-Easterner! Tell me, do they have coconuts there?"

"I'm sure you can buy them in some grocery stores." Felicity shrugged, unsure.

"Excellent. You may be seated."

Felicity went back to her seat. Cat, in the row behind her, leaned forward.

"Hi, Felicity," she said. "I'm Cat, like the animal."

"Okay. Nice to meet you."

Cat giggled. "It's nice to meet you, too. You should eat lunch with us today. We sit outside."

"Good to know." She sounded sarcastic as she said it, though.

Tori was trying to figure this girl out. Was she a combination of Beck and Jade? Oh, god, was she worse than Jade? Was that even possible?

"Tori, Beck, get up here and do a scene," Sikowitz said.

_Why does he always pair us together?_ Tori wondered.

"Why do you always pair us together?" Beck voiced Tori's silent query.

"Hmmm, I don't know," their quirky acting teacher said. "It just seems like you two would make the perfect couple."

Jade snorted loudly.

"Jade, thanks for volunteering. Why don't you and Tori do a scene together?"

"I'd rather cut my tongue off with a pair of dull scissors," said the possibly psychotic teen.

"That's a bit harsh, don't you think?" Tori asked. "I'm not that bad to work with."

Jade pretended that she was barfing but went up to the stage anyway. Tori followed her.

"Okay, now give me scene suggestions," Sikowitz asked the rest of the class.

"Siamese twins on a train," Robbie said.

"They're astronauts on the moon," Cat said. "I love the moon."

"No, how about two clowns in the circus," Andre said. "On pogo sticks."

"Ooh, I like pogo sticks," Sikowitz said, pondering this suggestion.

He was about to pick that one when the new girl made a suggestion.

"They're two girls who have just finished their first date. The gothic one is walking the perkier one to her door, and they're nervous about having their first kiss."

"What?!" Tori and Jade screamed at the same time.

The class erupted into laughter. Anyone who knew Jade and Tori knew that they hated each other. They would never agree to that. Jade would kill Tori before kissing her.

Sikowitz's eyes lit up, and he jumped up and down. "Even more perfect. Now, act!"

Jade crossed her arms and scowled, silently refusing. Tori's eyebrows were raised in the most innocent fashion. She looked at Sikowitz, her eyes growing big, begging him not to make them do this.

"Did you two not hear me? I said act!"

Jade rolled her eyes and threw her hands up in the air. "Oh, alright."

Then, Jade's whole personality changed. She turned to face Tori. "I had a really great time tonight." She spoke in a sweet shy voice, one hardly anyone had heard from her.

Shock froze Tori for a moment. She shook herself out of it and acted right along with her nemesis. "Me too," she said, just as shy sounding.

"Would you like to go out again?" Jade touched Tori's arm and smiled.

Tori nodded and grabbed Jade's other hand, holding it in hers. "I would love to."

They both leaned toward each other. Jade's hand moved up Tori's arm to push back her brown hair and cup her cheek. Tori shivered from Jade's cold hands but smiled. They closed their eyes, and their lips meet in a light touch. Tori wanted to play the role well, so she put her hands on Jade's waist, pulling her closer to her. Something fluttered in her stomach, and Tori found herself enjoying the kiss entirely more than she should. How could this be? Jade resisted a little but eventually allowed herself to get closer to Tori. _I'll show her_, Jade thought. She pressed her lips harder onto Tori's, whose eyes opened at the sudden intensity.

When applause filled the room, the girls broke apart from each other. Tori smiled sheepishly at her classmates. Jade smiled and, of course, ever the performer bowed.

"Brilliant, girls, brilliant," Sikowitz said, his coconut drink forgotten as he slow clapped.

Tori glanced at Jade. _How could she be so nonchalant about this?_ she wondered. No one had ever kissed Tori like that before. Did that mean something?


	2. Chapter 2: Making Progress

Chapter 2: Making Progress

Tori approached their lunch table on the Asphalt Café. The whole gang was there: Cat, Jade, Beck, Andre, Robbie, and Rex. And a new person. The new girl. Who Cat had invited to eat with them. And the girl who made Tori and Jade kiss. Tori wrinkled her nose at the girl and sat down across from her, next to Andre.

"Hi, Felicity," Tori said, trying to be her friendly self. "How are you liking Hollywood Arts?"

"It's nice," the girl said. "Y'all are friendlier than I expected."

"Did you just say 'y'all'?" Jade looked at the new girl with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, you got a problem with it?" Felicity met Jade's glare and glared back. Hmmm, a girl who could hold her own against Jade West? Tori like.

Jade opened her mouth for a snappy retort, but Beck nudged her. She glanced at him and didn't say anything. Even though they weren't together anymore, he could still keep her anger under control.

"Felicity, that was a great scene idea you had," Beck said. "It's almost like you knew that Tori and Jade are enemies."

Felicity looked from Jade to Tori. "I'm good at reading people."

Good at reading people? What did she mean by that? Before Tori got the chance to question her, though, someone else spoke.

"I love reading!" Cat said with a big smile on her face. "My favorite books are the ones with pictures in them! And cats. I love cats."

"Should I worry about her?" Felicity asked.

"We all worry about her," Beck said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Cat asked, her voice high-pitched. She screamed before running away from the table.

Her friends watched her leave, and it didn't seem like any of them were going to go after her. Felicity's eyes had widened, but when she noticed that no one else was too worried, she figured that the girl would be alright.

"About the scene today," Felicity said, "you two must be really good actors. I find it hard to believe that you two hate each other."

Andre laughed. "Yeah, Jade, maybe you like Tori more than you think."

Jade turned an expressionless face to Andre. "Oh, yes, Andre, Tori is my one true love." Jade spoke in her mocking impression of Tori's voice. "I love her almost as much as I love the color yellow."

Tori remained silent. She didn't have it in her to be sarcastic about this like Jade could. She had felt something during their kiss, and it freaked her out to no end. What if…what if she did—No, Tori couldn't think like that. The kiss meant nothing. It was only acting, plain and simple.

"Jade once bit someone's arm for wearing a yellow T-shirt," Beck was explaining to Felicity.

She nodded. "Okay, so my daddy was right. Theater people are weird."

"Hey, hey now," Andre said. He stopped to think for a while. "Well, that's kind of true. And now you're one of us."

"Felicity, I could show you around L. A. tomorrow if you want," Tori offered. "We could go to the mall afterward." She was suspicious of the girl and thought that getting to know her would ease her misgivings about her. She would go shopping with her and find out endless things about her. Shopping is the way to a girl's secrets.

"Sure." Felicity smiled at Tori.

"Wait," Jade said, scowling. "I thought you were helping Trina rehearse." _And hanging out with me_, the unspoken half of her sentence.

Tori had forgotten about her lie to Jade this morning. She blinked rapidly. "Um, yeah, well, Trina will be fine without me. We'd end up arguing anyway."

Jade's eyes narrowed; she didn't buy that for a minute. "Well, I'm coming, too."

_Why? Why would you do that to me?_ Tori wondered. _Why does she even want to hang out with me after our kiss? Doesn't she feel awkward? Or does she just see the kiss as part of an act, the way that I should? _Tori put on a fake smile. "Of course you can come. The more the merrier."

Tori, Jade, Felicity, and Cat walked into Tori's house in the midst of an argument. Trina was sitting on the couch clipping her toenails. She sighed at the arguing girls, mad that they were interrupting her personal time.

"I can't believe you did that!" Tori was yelling at Jade. "What is your problem?"

"My problem?!" Jade screamed. "He was following me and looking at me funny."

"Because he thought you were shoplifting, and you probably were," Tori said. "And he had a lazy eye, so of course he looked at you funny."

Jade was glaring at Tori, and her nostrils were flaring.

"Can you two shut up?!" Trina screamed. "I'm trying to clip my toenails."

"Gross. Go do that in your room," Tori said.

"I don't want to." She put down the fingernail clippers. "What happened at the mall? You guys are back too soon."

"Jade got us kicked out for shoplifting," Felicity said.

"I did not. They didn't have any proof."

"Because you didn't let them search you. You just walked out."

"I didn't want strangers touching me."

"You should be used to it, you criminal," Tori said.

Jade screamed and was about to tackle Tori, but Cat grabbed her.

"You're scaring me," she said.

The angry girl took a deep breath. She knew that she was going overboard, but she couldn't help it. Tori brought out the worst in her.

"Trina, can you take me and Felicity home?" Cat asked the older girl.

"Why me? How did you get here in the first place?"

"Jade drove us and almost got in a wreck," Felicity said. "Three times!"

Trina sighed. "Oh, alright. But one of you is going to have to finish cutting my toenails for me."

Felicity made a face at that. Trina got up and snatched her keys off the coffee table. Then, she, Cat, and Felicity walked out of the house, leaving Tori and Jade alone. The two girls remained quiet for a moment, their anger wearing off.

"Did you steal anything?" Tori asked.

"Why don't you search me and find out," Jade said with her eyebrows raised suggestively.

Tori nodded, and the pale skinned girl lifted her arms. Tori approached the other girl and pressed her hands to the girl's side, feeling for anything out of the ordinary. Nothing. Her hands moved down, exploring the girl's waist. Something was tucked into her pants. She lifted one side of her shirt and removed the black-handled scissors that were there. Tori waved them in front of Jade's face.

"Those are my scissors, you moron," Jade said. "Don't you recognize them from the last time you patted me down?"

Tori took a good look at the scissors and said, "Oh yeah."

She laid the scissors down on the coffee table and continued to search Jade's person. Squatting, she patted down Jade's black jean leg. When she was patting down Jade's right leg, she discovered something in her sock. She rolled up her pant leg and pulled out a laser pointer that still had a price tag attached to it. Tori stood up and showed it to Jade.

"So what?" Jade shrugged. "It's just a stupid laser pointer. Nothing to make a big fuss about."

"Jade, stealing is wrong," Tori said. "If you wanted this so badly, you could have bought it. It's only a dollar."

"But it's so worth the adrenaline rush." She smiled at the good girl.

Tori frowned. She couldn't tell if Jade was being serious or not; she probably was. Today had been a total waste of time. The only thing she had found out about Felicity was that her favorite color was purple. She and Cat had a long discussion about their favorite colors. At least it was nice that the girl tolerated Cat and didn't say anything to hurt the sensitive girl's feelings. Maybe Felicity was a good person, albeit a sarcastic and tough one. And, to top it all off, Tori and Jade spent most of the day arguing with each other. Tori couldn't believe that she ever thought she might have feelings for Jade. How impossible that would be.

"I'm sorry," Jade said, causing Tori to tilt her head in confusion, "that you are too much of a goody two shoes to steal some cheap little trinket."

"Uh! You're…you're…" Tori sputtered. She couldn't think of any adjectives to fit the girl.

"Evil? Pretty? Demonic?" Jade offered some suggestions.

"Yes! Wait, did you say pretty?" She looked at her in disbelief.

Jade nodded. "I am pretty."

_She's insane_, Tori thought. _Why would she bring up her looks?_ She really shouldn't have brought up her looks because Tori started to look at their day together in a whole new light. The arguing with Jade, Jade smiling when she managed to upset Tori, Jade's breathy laugh, the few moments when they actually agreed with one another and stopped arguing to just talk to each other like two normal friends. Tori had enjoyed all of it. It had been exhilarating, an adrenaline rush in its own way. When Jade had laughed, her boobs jiggled, making it hard for Tori not to stare. Remembering that, Tori's eyes traveled to her cleavage, her pale breasts stretching the fabric of her tight shirt.

The boobs moved closer to Tori, so close that she could look directly down at them. "My eyes are up here," the owner of the boobs said. Jade's cold hand grabbed Tori's chin and lifted it. Tori's brown eyes met Jade's green ones. The pale girl was smiling; Tori gulped.

"My boobs are nice, aren't they?" she stated.

"Um, I wasn't looking—"

"Shut it, Vega. Tell me why you've been checking me out all day. And don't lie."

Tell the truth? Tell the truth?! How could she possibly tell her the truth? What would she say? _Jade, for some reason, I'm attracted to you even though I had never had feelings for any other girl before, and if I were to go gay for a girl, I would've never thought that it would be someone like you? _She couldn't say that! It would ruin her already screwed up friendship with the Gothic-like girl. But what else could she do?

"Ever since we kissed," Tori started, "I can't stop thinking about you. I think I might have feelings for you."

Jade's face remained emotionless. It seemed like hours before the girl finally spoke.

"I'm a good kisser."

"What?! That's all you have to say?! Don't you have feelings for me? I can't be alone in this. That kiss had to mean something to you, too." Worry wrinkles were in Tori's forehead, and her eyes filled with tears.

Jade was still as stoic as ever. "Nope. I'm just a damn good actress."

Tori squeezed her eyes shut to prevent her tears from falling. _No, she has to be lying. Lying is another thing that Jade's good at. But how to prove it?_ The idea popped into Tori's head, and she smiled.

Opening her eyes, she nodded. "Yes, you are a good actress, Jade, but you aren't that good."

Before she could disagree with her, Tori put her hands on the other girl's cheeks and kissed her. Jade didn't react to the half Latina's gentle kisses, so Tori kissed her harder, forcing her tongue into her mouth. The Goth's mouth opened wider in shock. Instead of pushing the girl away from her, though, Jade pulled Tori closer to her body, her hands on her hips. Jade's tongue touched Tori's, and their kiss deepened. Tori smiled.

Eventually, the two ended up on the couch, Jade straddling a prostate Tori. Tori's hands were inside Jade's shirt, finally able to fondle the girl's ample breasts, while Jade nibbled on her ear, moaning softly. Just as Tori was thinking of ripping the shirt off of Jade's body, she heard a click. Someone had put their key into the door and was about to open it. Jade had heard it, too, and she flew off of Tori.

The door opened, and Trina entered the room to find the two girls sitting far apart on the couch with disheveled hair and clothing. But, Trina being Trina, she didn't pay much attention to them. She just started talking about herself.

"I'm never letting that Felicity girl cut my toenails ever again," she said. "She almost cut off my pinky toe. See, look at it. It's bleeding." Trina lifted her foot, putting it in Tori's face.

Tori looked at her sister's foot and patted it. "Yeah, you poor thing."

Trina continued talking about herself, but Tori's mind was on other things. Like the girl who she just spent twenty minutes making out with sneaking around Trina and going through the front door. Jade looked back at Tori and smiled shyly. Tori smiled back.


	3. Chapter 3: Dare Hope

Chapter 3: Dare Hope

That night Tori had a dream that she and Jade were an actual couple. They were with their friends at lunch, announcing their relationship.

"Guys, Jade and I have something to tell you," Tori said, wanting to ease her friends into the shocking news. Jade had other plans.

"Tori's my girlfriend," Jade said. "We're hot for each other, and if any of you got a problem with it, then I got a pair of scissors with your name on it."

"Jade, we were going to be more subtle." Tori turned her head to look at Jade.

The raven-haired beauty smirked. "You know subtlety isn't my thing."

Tori rolled her eyes at her impulsive girlfriend and turned to her friends. Beck's mouth had dropped open, Robbie was smiling, one of Andre's eyebrows was lifted, Cat was smiling and clapping, Trina looked disgusted, and Felicity seemed bored, as if she couldn't care less. Tori's heart sank. Why can't they all be happy for them?

"I don't believe this," Beck said. "Jade, we dated for two years, and now you're with a girl? What does this mean? Did I turn you…gay?"

Jade sighed. "For once, Beck, this isn't about you. I liked being with you, and I like being with Tori. That's all it is. Don't put a label on it."

"How can I not think that this has something to do with me? I'm questioning our whole relationship now."

"You have to admit it's a little odd," Andre said. "Not the thing about you two being girls. I'm okay with that. It's just that you two supposedly hate each other. How do you go from hate to love?"

Before Tori or Jade could begin to explain the feelings between the two of them, Felicity spoke.

"You two are idiots," she said. "It's the easiest thing in the world to fall in love with your enemy. You already have strong feelings for each other, and you get some kind of enjoyment from being with each other, like seeing the other in pain or something. There is a thin line between love and hate, ya know. And being with someone of the same sex doesn't mean that they got 'turned gay', Beck. It just means that they won't let our cultural views of same sex relationships stand in the way of their love. Love is love."

Everyone applauded Felicity's speech and nodded in agreement, even Beck. Tori woke up with one thought in her mind: _I have to talk to Felicity._

On Monday Tori bribed Trina into taking her to school early. She hoped that Felicity would be there so they could talk in private. Fortunately, she was. The new girl was in the empty hallway, leaning against her still undecorated locker right across from the doors of Hollywood Arts. It was as if she were waiting for something or someone. _Me?_ Tori wondered and paused feeling kind of scared. Who was this girl?

The half Latina took a deep breath before walking to Felicity. "Hey, Felicity. How's it going?"

"It's good. How are you?" A slight smile appeared on Felicity's face. Did she know what Tori wanted to talk to her about?

"Um, I'm kinda confused actually. And I think that you know something about it."

"About your confusion?" Felicity raised one of her eyebrows. "I barely know you."

"But you know about love and hate relationships," Tori guessed. "And you seem to know that something's happening between me and…" She couldn't bring herself to say the other girl's name.

"Jade," Felicity filled in for her. She shrugged. "You two have a connection, a vibe. I'm surprised that no one else sees or feels it. Maybe you're right. I do know something about love-hate relationships, and I guess I'm starting to see them everywhere."

Tori nodded. "You went through the same thing as me? You found out that you had feelings for a girl who was a frenemy."

"Not exactly. I started dating the son of my family's rivals, a guy that I had always hated or at least thought I did."

"So should I go out with Jade?"

"Do you want to go out with her?"

"I…I think so."

"Then, it's simple. You should go out with her."

"But she doesn't want to go out with me. She said she doesn't have feelings for me." Tori looked down at her shoes to hide the tears that appeared in her eyes.

Felicity's eyes hardened. "She's lying. Don't fall for it. You have to keep trying. Talk to her, woo her, do whatever makes her finally admit to herself and to you that she likes you back."

"What if it doesn't work, though? I don't want to get rejected." Tori looked back up.

"You keep trying!" the new girl shouted. "Don't give up. Pester her every day if you have to. If Adam hadn't pestered me so much, I would never have gotten with him, and it would have been a huge regret." Her eyes got watery, but she quickly blinked the tears away. She was tough, but she was also also hurt and had been in love. Tori realized something.

"That's why you moved here," she said. "Your parents didn't want you with him."

"And the best solution to keep us apart was to move to the other side of the country."

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. I had no idea." Tori moved to hug the girl but stopped when Felicity scowled at her.

"Yeah, whatever. I'll get over it." And the tough Felicity was back. She reminded Tori so much of Jade, who also hid her feelings. Seeing past both of their shields was a golden opportunity and a rare one at that. Tori smiled and patted Felicity on the shoulder. That was the comfort she could offer her and the only one that she would allow. It wasn't enough for the great advice that Felicity gave her. Tori wished that she could do more.

By this time, the hall had filled up with students. Tori looked around. She spotted Andre on the stairs talking to a cute girl, probably flirting with her. He smiled, and the girl laughed. Yep, he was definitely flirting. She saw Beck and Robbie by the Wahoo Punch machine drinking their drinks and talking. Cat and Jade, however, were nowhere in sight. Tori's shoulders slumped in disappointment, but she didn't give up hope. Not just yet. Jade would show up, hopefully.

Tori hoped in vain. Jade didn't show up. Not in Sikowitz's class. Not at lunch. Not in any of her other classes. Neither she nor Cat came to school that day. _What was going on? _Tori wondered. How could she pester Jade when she didn't come to school? Why did she dare hope when Jade was too stubborn?

The Slap Mobile Update:

Tori Vega: _Going to Jade's house to talk some sense into her._

_Feeling: hopeless _

Tori knocked on Jade's front door loudly and repeatedly. She wasn't going to leave without talking to Jade. Tori stopped knocking for a moment, giving the Gothic girl a chance to answer the door. When no one came in two minutes, she started knocking again and didn't stop until she heard a thump from inside the house.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming!" Jade yelled. "Keep your pants on!"

The door swung open. The dark-haired girl scowled at her visitor. Her green streak stood out more than it usually did. She was wearing a long sleeved black lacy top with a black undershirt and a turquoise leopard print skirt. Tori's heart sped up at the sight of her.

"What are you doing here, Vega?" Jade asked.

"Why weren't you at school today?"

Someone giggled, and a bright red-headed girl jumped out from behind the door. "She was with me," Cat said, still giggling.

Now, Tori's racing heart stopped completely and felt tight as if it were being squeezed. _Don't be jealous_, she told herself. _Jade and Cat are friends, nothing more._ The same could be said of the two of them being just friends and nothing more, but Tori didn't want to think that.

"Yeah, we were hanging out, taking a mental health day," Jade said.

"Okay." Tori was just going to have to believe that nothing happened between them. "Can we talk?"

"We are talking."

Tori sighed. "I mean about us and in private. No offense, Cat."

"None taken. I'll wait outside so you can talk."

Cat was being very mature which surprised Tori. She could never tell when the sensitive girl was going to flip out. Cat walked out of the house, and Tori walked into it, closing the door behind her. Jade stood with her arms folded across her chest.

"We're alone," she said. "Now talk."

"I like you, Jade. I don't know why, but I do. And I know you like me too. When we kissed, it seemed like we were the only people in the world. I had never been kissed like that before, so you can't tell me that you don't feel the same. I want to be with you. I don't care what other people will say about us; I just don't want to have any regrets. So my question is, will you go out with me?"

Jade had remained quiet throughout Tori's whole speech, and her face was emotionless. She uncrossed her arms now and moved toward Tori. Tori's body stiffened, fearing that Jade would hit her, but she didn't move back. She was going to face whatever Jade threw at her, head on.

The girls stood mere inches apart. Jade was a few inches taller than Tori, and their noses were practically touching. Jade smiled.

"You've got balls, Vega," she said.

"That's not an answer," Tori told her.

"Yeah but this one is."

Jade moved her head a little bit and gently touched her lips to Tori's. Tori kissed her back after a moment of shock. One of Jade's hands rested on Tori's hip, and her other hand moved to the back of the other girl's neck, pressing her closer and making their kiss rougher. Their kiss ended way too soon for Tori's liking when Jade backed away from her.

"That answer good enough for you?" she asked.

Tori smiled. "Yes." Her voice was raspy.

Jade smirked at her. Before she could make fun of how in love Tori was with her, the half Latina kissed her again. Jade smiled against the other girl's lips and wrapped her arms around her neck. They continued to make out in Jade's entry hall, forgetting that Cat was still waiting outside for one of them to take her home.


	4. Chapter 4: Jori at Last

Chapter 4: Jori at Last

Tori found it hard to admit, but Jade was actually a good girlfriend. They talked to each other every night before going to bed. They texted throughout the day. Jade even smiled at her and not in a demonic way, well, not always. Things were nice. They still argued of course like right now.

"No, you can't just borrow my things and destroy them without telling me," Tori was saying.

"You're acting like I did it on purpose," Jade said. "It was an accident, Toro, so get over it."

Tori hated the nickname that Sikowitz had given her, and Jade knew it. "Don't call me that! And accident or not, you still should have told me. Don't just put it back like nothing happened."

"It's not a big deal. Just take it to the jewelry store so they can fix it."

"Why didn't you do that, then? This whole fight could've been avoided."

"I don't want to pay to fix your stupid bracelet!"

The stupid bracelet in question was grasped in Tori's fist. She waved it in front of Jade's face. "You broke it! The least you could do is pay to fix it."

Jade sighed and rolled her eyes. "Fine. Whatever. Give me the stupid bracelet."

Tori handed it to her, thankful that Jade gave in. She rarely won their arguments, which sometimes lasted for hours, making her give in just to stop fighting. It had been a week since the two of them officially started dating, and the only thing that changed between them was their make-out sessions. When they weren't all over each other, they were the frenemies that everyone knew and loved. No one even suspected that they were together. The only people who knew were Felicity and Cat. Jade and Tori would eventually tell their other friends; they just wanted to wait a while, to see if this relationship was real or a fluke.

The couple was in Tori's room. Jade had climbed in through Tori's window to pick her up for their date. Tori wanted to wear her silver charm bracelet and when she discovered that it was broken, questioned Jade about it. The Goth was straightforward about it, causing their argument. Luckily, it had only lasted five minutes, giving the girls more than enough time to catch the movie.

"Can we kiss and make up now?" Jade asked the still frowning half Latina.

"A-ha!" Tori said, jumping and pointing at Jade. "That's why you always start fights with me. You only want to make up."

Jade shrugged. "Tormenting you is fun. Especially when I get to make out with you afterward."

Tori blushed. "Well, the movie starts in forty minutes. We can make out for ten minutes and still make it in time to buy our tickets, get snacks, and find good seats."

That was all that Jade needed to hear. She pulled her girlfriend onto the bed and laid on top of her, planting kisses on her forehead, her perfect cheekbones, and on her tasty lip glossed lips. Jade's hands moved up Tori's shirt to fondle her breasts. Tori moaned against her mouth. In less than a minute, their movie plans were forgotten. Tori considered going all the way with Jade. She knew that it was too fast. They had only been together for a week, but Tori was head over heels in love with this psychotic girl. Having sex with her would be proof of her love.

But, the rational part of Tori was against that plan. And she knew in her heart of hearts that sex didn't necessarily mean love. As good as it felt to make out with Jade, she didn't want it to go any further. Not yet anyway. So when her girlfriend sat up, preparing to take her shirt off, Tori stopped her.

"What?" Jade asked.

"Our ten minutes are almost up. We should go."

Jade pouted but got off of Tori. "Alright. Let's go." She moved toward the window.

"How 'bout we take the door?"

"Always ruining my fun." She scowled at Tori's back as they walked down the stairs and left the house.

Fifteen minutes later they stood in line to buy tickets for the new comedy movie, Drink and Die Happy. Jade agreed to go see this one because it had "die" in its title; she hoped to actually see someone die. Right after they bought their tickets, Andre, Beck, Robbie, Cat, and Felicity walked into the theater.

"Hey, Tori, Jade," Andre said. "What are you two doing here?"

"Going to see a movie," Jade said. "What does it look like we're doing?"

"You're standing," Cat said.

"It's great that the group's all together," Robbie said.

"Yeah, it's wonderful," Jade said sarcastically.

"What Andre meant was, why are you two together?" Beck clarified. "Did Jade bring you here against your will, Tori?"

Tori and Jade looked at each other and nodded. Their friends caught them out on a date, and they were done keeping their relationship a secret from them. It was time to tell them.

"Um, we, well, um..." Tori stuttered.

"We're on a date," Jade said.

A shocked silence followed her blatant statement. Beck's mouth dropped, forming an O. Andre's eyebrows were raised. Robbie looked confused. Cat was twirling a strand of her brightly dyed hair, and Felicity was looking at her nails, bored.

"Yay!" Cat said. "I'm so happy for you!" The peppy girl jumped toward Jade and Tori, enveloping them both in a hug.

"Cat, you already knew that we were a couple," Tori reminded her.

"I know, but I'm still happy."

"Uh, Tori, can I talk to you over here?" Andre asked.

Tori and Andre moved to a corner of the theater lobby.

"You remember that time I had a crush on Jade?" he asked. When she nodded, he continued. "And you told me all those reasons why I shouldn't like her? Something about her being really mean and psychotic? You remember that?"

"Yes, Andre, I remember," Tori said. "But there's something about her. You know that. Even though there are a thousand reasons not to like Jade, you still liked her. And so do I. I'm starting to see why Beck was with her. She's an amazing girl." Tori smiled at Jade who was staring at them, suspicious of their conversation.

"As long as you're sure you want to be with her, I'm cool with it."

"You don't care that we're both girls?"

"Naw, love is love."

Tori sighed in relief. Her biggest fear was that no one would like her and Jade as a couple because they were of the same gender. Maybe her dream was just an exaggeration. Her friends were more open-minded than she gave them credit for. She and Andre walked back over to their friends.

"I guess congratulations are in order," Robbie said.

"Yeah, congrats," Felicity said. "Can we go see the movie now?"

"You guys go ahead," Tori said. "I want to talk to Beck."

Jade narrowed her eyebrows at Tori who waved her away. Andre put his arm over Jade's shoulder and led her away. Beck turned to Tori with a question in his eyes.

"What's up?" he asked.

"Are you okay with this?" she asked. "I mean, you and Jade were together for a long time, and now she's with a girl, me, which must be very confusing. It's not like Jade didn't love you; she did. It's just that—"

Beck interrupted her. "Tori, it's okay. Jade can date whoever she wants to, and it doesn't matter to me that it happens to be you."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I was surprised since I thought she hated you, but I can see why you would fall for each other. I'm happy for you."

_ So my dream was just a horrible nightmare_, Tori thought. _But how could it be right about Felicity, a girl that I barely know, and be so wrong about my friends who I know very well?_ Tori shrugged. Dreams are confusing.

"I'm also glad that Jade's dating someone before me," Beck said. "I didn't want to upset her by being the first to move on."

"Ooooh, Beck has his eye on someone?" Tori smiled really big and poked his shoulder.

"Yes, yes Beck does." He smiled back.

"You should ask her out. We could go on a double date! Or would that be too weird?"

Beck shrugged. "Maybe. What's weirder, though, is how similar this girl is to Jade. Does that mean that I'm only attracted to one type of girl?"

A girl similar to Jade? Tori's thought processes easily figured out that answer. "Felicity? You like Felicity?"

"Shhh. Say that any louder, and she'll hear you."

"Sorry," Tori said.

"Don't tell her, okay?"

"I won't."

But during the whole movie, Tori schemed, thinking of ways to set Beck and Felicity up. She still felt like she owed her for the advice. And the best way to mend a broken heart was to date someone else. Right?


	5. Chapter 5: Moving On

Chapter 5: Moving On

Sitting in the car with Trina, Tori was still thinking of her plan to set Felicity up with Beck. She had to be subtle about it; Felicity was a sharp girl who'd see through her scheme in an instant. Tori decided to ask her older sister for advice. Maybe she'd know something.

"Trina, let's say you're heartbroken over a guy that you can't have," Tori started, "but a really attractive and great guy liked you. Would you want me to set you up with him or would you hate me for trying to help you get over the other guy?"

Trina had one hand on the steering wheel and was using the other to apply mascara. Her face was practically glued to the rearview mirror. Tori had long given up on telling Trina to watch the road. She rode with Trina so much that she was used to her sister's crazy feats while driving. Now, Trina sat back, lowering the mascara wand, and looked at Tori.

"First of all," she said, "I'm never heartbroken over any guy. I can get anyone I want. And, second of all, WHO LIKES ME?! Is it Beck? Please, tell me it's Beck. I knew he had a thing for me. He's just too shy to say it. Especially after he, Andre, and Robbie played that cruel joke on me. He doesn't want them to know because it really will upset them and make them fight over me."

"Trina! Trina! TRINA!" Tori had been screaming her name for the past two minutes. It finally got her attention and made her shut up. "Beck doesn't and will never like you. It was only a hypothetical question. Would you want to go out with someone else to get over the guy you can't have?"

"Of course," Trina said. "That other guy is crazy to not want me. I'm a great catch."

Of course, Trina was full of herself, but maybe she was right. It's the other guy's loss. Felicity's situation was a little different from that, though. Her guy was over two thousand miles away from her, and their parents didn't want them together. A real-life Romeo and Juliet love story minus them both dying. The only thing Felicity could do was move on, and Tori could help her.

In Sikowitz's class, Tori, Felicity, Beck, and Robbie stood on the stage. They were doing a scene with Tori and Robbie as Felicity's parents who disapproved of her boyfriend, Beck. The class rarely saw Felicity act, so this was a treat.

"Mom, Dad, Jason is a good guy," Felicity said. "Just give him a chance."

"Now, Abby, you know how much we don't like those good guys," Robbie said. "He'd be a good influence on you." He said "good" as if it pained him.

"Yes, sweetie, we'd rather see you with someone who has a few tattoos and piercings," Tori said. "And he must drive a motorcycle. This clean cut boy—" Tori gestured at Beck's button down shirt and khaki pants. "—is not bad for you. You can't date him."

Felicity put her arm around Beck's shoulder. He smiled at her, and Tori could see how much he liked her. Even though he was just playing a role, he must be excited to be so close to Felicity.

"I don't care what you say. This boy is the love of my life and…" Felicity choked up a little. The class saw it as good acting, but Tori knew that this must be bringing up bad memories of her own parents' disapproval of her real boyfriend. Ex-boyfriend, that is.

"And I'm going to continue dating him," she finished.

Beck looked at Felicity with concern in his eyes. "Um, Abby, maybe we shouldn't date if your parents don't want us to. I would hate to upset them."

"See! The boy can't even rebel against us," Robbie said. "He's a goody two shoes, and he's not right for my little girl." Robbie played a good father. His facial expressions showed that he was stern and had love for his pretend daughter.

"I love him!" Real tears sprang up in Felicity's eyes. She grabbed Beck's face and planted a big kiss on his lips. His eyes widened in surprise, but, remembering his role, he went with it.

"Think of it this way, darling," Tori said to Robbie. "Our daughter is rebelling against us by refusing to break up with this good boy. Maybe he isn't such a positive influence for her after all if she can still do bad things."

"It looks like you're right, hon."

The bell sounded, signaling the end of class. Sikowitz looked around the room in confusion, as if he had been so entranced by the scene that he forgot where he was. Everyone else left the room to head to their next class. Tori followed Felicity because she was worried about the girl. That scene must've been hard for her to get through.

Tori was right to be worried. Felicity headed straight for the bathroom and locked herself in a stall. Sniffles could be heard from within. Tori knocked on the stall.

"Someone's in here," Felicity called out. It sounded like something was in her throat. She coughed to clear it and to sound less gruff.

"Fi, it's me," Tori said.

Felicity opened the door a crack, but Tori could see one of her red, watery eyes.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"What do you think I want?" Jade's personality must be rubbing off on Tori. "I could see that you were in pain. I'm here if you want to talk."

Felicity opened the door wider and walked out. "I'm fine." She went to the sink to wash her hands and face.

Tori sighed. "Cut the crap, Felicity. You don't have to be tough all the time. Jade is the same way. You both hide your emotions and pretend that nothing bothers you. I've seen the sensitive side of Jade, and I know that you have one, too. Please be honest with me." There was pleading in Tori's eyes.

"Alright, you wanna know the truth. I'm upset. No, scratch that. I'm mad as hell. I didn't want to come here. I'd rather be back home. I hate my parents for bringing me here. I hate…a lot of things. And I'm sad, and I hate being sad. Is that what you wanna hear?"

"Yes, it is." Tori moved closer to Felicity and hugged her before the tough girl could back away. She let herself be hugged and even hugged Tori back.

"Okay, enough of this. It's getting too mushy for me."

Tori laughed, and the two girls released each other.

"You know, good friends can help alleviate your sadness."

Felicity smiled. "Yeah, I know. I'm glad I met you and everyone else."

If friends make her less sad, then a new boyfriend should make her feel a whole lot better. Tori made up her mind and decided to go through with her plan to set Felicity up with Beck.

Tori told Jade, Robbie, Andre, and Cat about a great new restaurant that they should try for lunch. She said that she would join them later which was the only thing that convinced Jade to go. Her girlfriend still looked at her funny as she left, wondering what she was up to. Tori just smiled and waved.

She made her way to the Asphalt Café where she saw Beck and Felicity already sitting at their regular table. To Tori's disappointment, they weren't talking to each other. They were sitting on opposite sides of the table, as far away from each other as they could possibly be while still sitting at the same table.

"Hey, guys," she said to them. "I can see that you two are having a riveting conversation. I'd hate to interrupt it."

Felicity rolled her eyes.

"Where is everybody?" Beck asked.

"Oh, they didn't tell you?" Tori asked, feigning shock. "Apparently there's this new restaurant downtown that they just had to try. The food's supposed to be amazing. I wonder why they didn't invite you two."

"Well, why didn't you go with them?" This was Felicity's question.

Tori shrugged. "I was in the mood for Festus' tamales. You two should talk about the great chemistry you had during that scene today while I go get one."

Felicity's eyebrows narrowed at Tori's back. _That girl is up to something_, she thought. Beck made eye contact with Felicity and smiled.

"We did make a good pair," Beck said. "And that was some kiss."

"It was acting," Felicity said with a shrug. "Plain and simple."

"Are you always this cold or is it just me?"

"You and I haven't really hung out alone before. It takes me a while to warm up to new people, and I don't really know you. If I got to know you better, then I'd be more comfortable around you." Surprisingly, Felicity was opening up to Beck and speaking honestly.

Beck smiled. "That can be easily fixed. Let's hang out tonight. Get to know each other a little better."

Tori returned just in time to hear that. She looked from Beck to Felicity and smiled. "Aww, you guys are going on a date. That's so cute. You two will be the cutest couple."

Felicity frowned at Tori. "Whoa, who said anything about a date?"

"Well, Beck asked you out, didn't he?" Tori's face was a mask of confusion. Beck's face turned red at Tori's misunderstanding. He really hoped she didn't screw this up for him.

"No, he did not ask me out. We're just going to be hanging out. As friends, right?" The black girl looked at the Canadian. Before he could hide his embarrassment, Felicity saw the truth written all over his face.

"This is a set up," she said. "You did this." She pointed at Tori. "That's why no one else is here. You wanted us to be alone so he could ask me out."

"Surprise," Tori said halfheartedly. "Beck likes you, and I thought that if you two started going out, then it would help you move past your old relationship."

"What?!" Felicity stood up. "How could you be so stupid?! You think that throwing a cute guy in my face will make me forget…someone who was very important to me? Is it that easy for you to replace someone you were in love with? Maybe that works for you but not for me."

And with that said, Felicity stomped away from the table with more tears in her eyes.

"So, that went well," Beck said.

"Yeah, I thought that setting her up with you would make her happier," Tori said. "But, she's right. I'm really stupid."

Tori also had tears in her eyes. Felicity would probably never forgive her and was probably crying her eyes out…again. How could Tori be so stupid and such a terrible friend?


	6. Chapter 6: Mistake After Mistake

Chapter 6: Mistake After Mistake

Jade and Tori were sitting at Tori's kitchen table doing homework. At least Tori was trying to concentrate on the seven page paper that she had to write. Jade's hand on her thigh had other ideas, though. She knew how ticklish her girlfriend was. After Tori's fourth giggling outburst, she grabbed her hand and removed it from her leg.

"Stop it," Tori said. "I'm not in the mood."

Jade pouted. "Aww, what's wrong with the big baby?" She spoke in her impression of Tori's voice.

Tori rolled my eyes at her. "I don't want to talk about it."

Her girlfriend ignored her. She got up from the table and, standing behind Tori's chair, began kissing the back of her neck. Usually, she would enjoy this and her bad mood would evaporate, but this time Tori felt like crap and no amount of canoodling would make her feel better.

Gritting her teeth, she stood up and pushed Jade away from her. The Goth's sock-clad feet slid on the kitchen floor, and she collided with the island. Jade gasped and looked seriously hurt at Tori's rejection of her. The half-Latina was too upset to care. Tori pushed back the flyaway hairs from her face as Jade's green eyes swam with unshed tears.

"Fine," she spat at her. "Glad to know that you don't want me anymore. I can take a hint, Vega."

She gathered her things, stuffing her laptop and books into her backpack. She didn't even bother putting her combat boots back on before stomping off toward the door. Taking a deep breathe, Tori realized that things couldn't end like this. She ran after Jade and put her hand on hers as she reached for the doorknob.

"Wait, Jade," she said. "I'm sorry. I'm just in a really bad mood."

"Oh, really? I couldn't tell." She didn't turn around, but Tori knew that she was relieved that she came after her. The last time someone she dated didn't come after her ended in their break-up.

"Please don't leave," Tori said. "Spend the night with me?"

It felt like the silence after her question lasted for hours though it couldn't have been more than a few seconds. Jade and Tori had yet to stay the night at each other's houses. Even knowing that sex was off the table, they still weren't ready to sleep—just sleep—in the same bed. But maybe tonight could be the night. Tori really didn't want to be alone. Not after the day she had.

"Okay," Jade said in a small voice. She turned to Tori and had a smile on her face. Little black rivers of mascara on her cheeks were the only evidence that she had been crying.

Gently, Tori kissed her very soft lips. She kissed her back just as gently. Pulling her into a hug, Tori's tongue slipped into her mouth. Jade moaned as their kiss deepened. They started moving toward the stairs so they could continue this in her room.

Thirty minutes later Tori's beautiful, sensitive, and very naked girlfriend's head was lying on her chest, her fingers twisted in her hair. Tori, out of breath and happy, was just as naked as she.

"How was it for you?" Tori asked.

"A-mazing," Tori breathed. "You're amazing."

"Yeah, I know," she said as smug as ever. "You weren't too bad yourself, Vega."

Tori poked her in the side. "You know you love me."

Jade sat up and looked Tori in the eyes. "Yeah," she whispered. "I do love you."

Tori leaned up and kissed Jade. "I love you, too."

Jade smiled. "Alright, enough mushy stuff. Let's go to sleep."

They both lie back down, Jade reclaiming her spot on Tori's chest. Just before she nodded off, Jade had one more question for Tori.

"Why were you so upset earlier? Did I do something and not realize it?"

"No, it wasn't you," Tori said, yawning. "I made a mistake at lunch today and felt horrible about it." Bringing it up made Tori wince. She still felt horrible about it. How on earth could she make it up to Felicity?

"Lunch?" Now, Jade sat back up, wide awake. "You mean when you told us to go to that sketch restaurant and never showed up like you said you would?"

"Yeah." Tori avoided her girlfriend's steely gaze. "I had to get Beck and Felicity alone so he could make his move. It didn't work out at all. Felicity's in love with this guy back in South Carolina and going out with someone else will so not make her feel better. I should've known that, but I was so set on paying her back for the good advice she had given me about us."

"Wait, shut up," Jade said. "You wanted Beck and Felicity to be alone with each other? You tried to set them up with each other?"

"Yeah," Tori said, not realizing the problem. "Beck likes her, which is the cutest thing ever. Don't you think?"

Jade's face was the reddest Tori had ever seen. She looked like a teapot all steamed up and ready to blow. And blow she did.

"How could you try to set Beck up with someone else?!" she screamed, not caring about the other people in Tori's house who were sleeping. "Are you mentally retarded or are you just that stupid?!"

Water filled Tori's eyes. She had never seen Jade this angry, and it kind of scared her.

"Why do you care?" Tori asked quietly.

"What?!" Jade was still screaming.

"You're with me, so why does it matter if Beck wants to be with someone else?"

Jade's face went blank for a moment. Then, her eyes narrowed, and she seemed to have come to some kind of decision. Without saying anything to Tori, she got out of bed and began putting her clothes on.

"I thought you were a nice person, Tori," Jade said. "It never crossed my mind that you could be so inconsiderate."

Jade went to Tori's window and opened it. One leg out the window, she looked back at her girlfriend and said, "Don't come after me this time."

And Jade climbed out of Tori's window and probably, her life. Tori picked up her pillow and buried her face in it, releasing an overabundance of tears. Did she have bad luck or something? Why was she making mistake after mistake? Her friendship with Felicity and her relationship with Jade were most likely over. Tori felt like burrowing in a hole and never coming out again.

While Tori sobbed, her parents lingered outside her door, wondering if they should come in to talk to their daughter. They made the correct choice by going back to bed and allowing Tori to grieve in peace. They couldn't have entered her room anyway; her door was locked.


	7. Chapter 7: Checking in with Felicity

Chapter 7: Checking in with Felicity

After lunch that day, Felicity had gone to her car. She didn't want to stay at that school another second. Tears threatened to overflow from her eyes, but she blinked them away. She glanced into the rearview mirror and dabbed at the corners of her eyes with her fingertips, so she didn't notice the incredibly cute guy walking toward her car.

He rapped on her window with his knuckles. Felicity looked at Beck in surprise before rolling her window halfway down.

"What do you want?" She tried to make her voice sound snappy and mean, but it came out small and weak.

"I came to apologize," he said, running his hand through his dark hair. Felicity could admit to herself that he had nice hair. "I didn't know what you had been going through, and I had no idea that Tori was going to try to set us up."

Felicity nodded. "It's okay. Tori meant well; she just made a mistake."

"Yeah, she does that a lot, but she usually fixes her mistakes." Beck smiled at her. "I really would like to hang out with you sometime. As friends, of course."

_Let's see_, she thought to herself, _hang out with a guy who likes me or go home and cry my eyes out over a guy that I can't have?_ She chose the former. "I'm free now," she said, a devilish gleam in her eyes. "Hop in."

Hesitation stopped Beck but only for a moment. He went around the front of Felicity's car and sat in the passenger seat.

"Where to?" she asked.

"Are you in the mood for sushi?" Beck asked, raising one eyebrow.

Felicity chuckled, putting her car in reverse and backing out of the parking spot. Then, she headed toward Nozu.

Beck and Felicity sat across from each other in a booth at Nozu's. And the weirdest thing was happening. They were laughing. Felicity tried and failed once more to use her chopsticks properly. Beck laughed even harder. Finally, she just threw the offensive sticks onto the table.

"Screw it," she said, picking the yellowtail, which she had been trying to grip with the chopsticks, up with her fingers.

Beck swiped at the tears flowing from his eyes. "How do you not know how to use chopsticks?" he asked her when he had stopped laughing and got his breathing back under control.

"Uh, because I live in America where our utensils of choose is a fork and spoon." She rolled her eyes at him but was smiling.

"But when you eat the food of foreign countries, you should eat it in their custom." He demonstrated the proper use of chopsticks, picking up a sushi roll with the thin sticks and popping it into his mouth. "Yummy. It tastes so much better this way." His eyes gleamed as he smiled back at her.

"Well, if that's the case, then why are we sitting in a booth? We should be kneeling on pillows and eating at a low table, not sitting in something that doesn't adequately represent traditional Japanese culture."

Beck nodded. "Point taken. You should take that up with the establishment, though. I have no say over how they furbish their eating house."

"For a pretty boy, you're not so bad. Smart, too."

He cocked an eyebrow. "I can't be smart and good-looking?"

She shrugged. "You can. It's just more common for the pretty people to be stupid. At least, that's what pop culture wants us to believe. And it's not exactly like you're going to an academic school." Beck opened his mouth to speak, but Felicity held her hand up. "I'm not saying that everyone who goes to a performing arts school isn't smart. I'm going to one so that obviously can't be true." She smirked. "What I mean to say is that I didn't know what to expect when I got accepted to Hollywood Arts. I mostly thought that all these LA folk would be stuck up and vain."

She saved herself with that one, getting herself out of hot water fast. Beck was appreciative of his looks, but he didn't like being judged because of them. Well, he did like the attention that he got from girls, but he liked it even more when people saw past his looks to the guy that he was.

"I'm glad that we could prove you wrong," he said, the "we" referring to himself, Andre, Robbie, Tori, Cat, and Jade.

"Yeah, me too." Felicity smiled a slow, sad smile, thinking of her friends back home and a certain special boy. She reached for her necklace, a little gold chain with a half of a heart pendant on it, gripping the broken heart in her hand. Adam had the other piece of it.

Beck noticed the necklace and guessed that she must be thinking of her boyfriend. He cleared his throat awkwardly. Felicity looked up at him, her eyes glazed over, not really seeing him.

"Do you want to talk about him?" He pointed at her necklace.

She shook her head, tucking it back under her shirt. "It's silly, isn't it? Thinking that you're in love with someone at our age?" She chuckled humorlessly. "Adults are always saying that we're too young to know what love is. Maybe they have a point."

"No, I don't believe that." Beck's eyes glazed over as he thought about Jade. He had loved her, despite how things had ended with them. "Being young doesn't mean that we can't feel. We may get too caught up in our feelings sometimes, but at least we're open to experiencing love, finding out what it is for ourselves. I was in love once, and I know what it is." His heart ached as he remembered just how in love with Jade he had been, mourning over the loss of her as if it were a fresh wound.

Felicity saw his eyes crinkle around the edges. She didn't know his history with Jade, but she knew that they had been a couple, and she often sensed awkwardness between the two of them. They must've have been together for a long time; they didn't know how to be just friends with one another.

"Looks like we're both heartbroken," she said, her voice low.

Beck met her eyes. "Yeah," he said.

_By the time they returned to the school, classes had ended for the day. Felicity drove over to Beck's car, the sole car in the lot. He put his hand on the handle about to open the door, but he hesitated. He wasn't too eager to leave, and Felicity wasn't too eager about him leaving either. That was what prompted her to blurt out, "You wanna come over to my place? We could watch a movie or something." Her heart thumped against her chest, nervous about his response. In her head, she was cursing herself for saying anything; she didn't want him to think that she was starved for male company or anything. She prided herself over not needing anyone and hated to seem needy, even in the slightest._

_ Beck hadn't detected any neediness in Felicity's voice, probably because he wanted to spend more time with her, too. He turned to her, grinning. "That sounds great. I'll follow you in my car." He didn't want to leave his baby in the school parking lot overnight._

_ He did just that, driving behind Felicity as she led him to the small house that her parents had rented in one of the residential neighborhoods. It was a cookie-cutter house, mirroring the other houses in the neighborhood. What it lacked was a porch, which Felicity disliked. Coming from the south, she had a deep love for porches._

_ Both of her parent's cars were absent from the driveway. Felicity silently thanked God that her parents were such workaholics. Not that she was hoping something would happen between her and Beck; she just didn't want to have to introduce him to them. She was nervous about introducing any boy to them, whether they were just friends or not. They had really pissed her off by their reaction to her and Adam dating. If they couldn't accept him, then she didn't want to even give them the option of accepting any more of her guy friends or boyfriends._

_ Beck parked on the street, not wanting to park in the driveway in case her parents came home early and blocked his car in. Felicity unlocked the front door, and they went into the living room. She flipped on a lamp, bringing light into the dark room. It was simply furbished, a floral print couch, two end tables beside it, a coffee table in front of it, and a flat screen hanging on the wall across from it. A matching loveseat was perpendicular to the couch, and a DVD player was in a rectangular cubby hole beneath the TV._

_ "The DVDs are over there," Felicity said, pointing to a bookshelf to the right of the TV. "Pick out any movie you want. I'll make some popcorn and get some drinks."_

_ Beck rifled through the available DVD selections, noticing a lot of good movies to pick from. He had no idea what Felicity was into but didn't peg her as the type of girl who liked romantic comedies. He ended up choosing Punch Face._

_ Felicity came back into the living room with a bowl of buttery popcorn and two glasses filled with a dark, fizzy soda as he was putting the disc into the player. She put the snacks on the coffee table and sat on the couch. Beck sat on the other side of the couch, leaving a wide space between the two of them. Felicity turned the lamp off, the only light in the room now coming from the flickering TV screen._

_ "Oooh, I love Punch Face," Felicity said when the title screen popped up. She pushed the play button on the remote._

_ "Me too," Beck said._

_ "We have good taste." _

_ Beck agreed, and they both quieted down as the movie started. They watched it in silence but as it progressed, they inched closer to the middle cushion until they were sitting close beside each other, their legs an inch apart from touching. Felicity told herself that it was because they were eating out of the same popcorn bowl, but her heart wanted to believe differently. Beck wanted to think that that was the case, too._

_ But if that were true, then why, by the end of the movie, were they holding hands?_


	8. Chapter 8: Confrontation

**A/N **

****So this is a short chapter. Enjoy!

Chapter 8: Confrontation

She was waiting in his darkened RV when he finally returned. He turned on his light and screamed at the sight of the pale, dark-haired girl sitting on his bed holding a menacing pair of scissors.

"Jade, what are you doing here?!" Beck shouted. "Oh, god, is my nightmare coming true? You're going to cut my hair, aren't you?" He touched his hair, his eyes widening in fear.

"No, I'm not going to cut your hair," Jade said slowly. "Not yet anyway." She snipped at the air with the scissors.

"So what's going on?" Beck sat down on his desk chair, still wary of the scissors-wielding chick. "Did something happen with you and Tori?"

Jade smirked. "Wouldn't you like to know?" She thought about her girlfriend's soft skin, about their bodies coming together as they made love, about Tori's soft moans of pleasure. Jade clinched her free hand into a fist and squeezed, digging her nails into the palm of her hand, to take her mind off of it and of the pleasure she now felt blossoming in her vagina. Damn that girl, she thought.

"What I want to know is how you could like that new girl? She…she's…she's…" Jade couldn't find the right words to describe her.

"She's just like you?" Beck asked, filling in the blank for her. Jade scowled but didn't say anything. "Yes, she is a lot like you, and I can't help but like her. Why do you care? We broke up, and you're with Tori now. This shouldn't bother you."

"How could it not bother me?" Jade lowered the scissors and spoke in a softer voice. "I would be okay if you liked a different girl but to like someone who is similar to me in many ways? How do you think that makes me feel?"

Beck moved onto the bed and put an arm around Jade's shoulders. "I'm not trying to replace you, Jade," he said. "I still love you. I will always love you."

"Really?" She looked up into his beautiful brown eyes.

"Really." And maybe it was the heat of the moment or maybe it was just a force of habit. Whatever it was, Beck tilted his head down and touched his lips to Jade's. Jade responded in her usual fashion, kissing him back hard. Swiping the scissors off the bed, Beck leaned into Jade until she was on her back and he was on top of her. When his hand moved to her waist, she put her hands against his chest to stop him. He pulled back to look at her.

"We shouldn't be doing this," Jade said. "I…I'm with Tori."

Beck snorted. "So why did you come here, Jade? Why do you care about me liking Felicity? If you're really with Tori and really care about her, then you wouldn't be worrying about what your ex is doing." Beck rolled off of Jade and lay on his back beside her.

Tears rolled silently down Jade's cheeks. "You're right," she said, her voice heavy. "I still love you, too. And I don't want you to be with anyone else."

"Are you saying that you want to get back together? I hate to say this, but is this thing with Tori just a phase? How do you really feel, Jade?"

_How do I really feel?_ Jade thought. _I love Beck, and I might love Tori. I told her that I did, but do I really? I spent so much time hating her. Is it even possible for me to love her? I like making out with her, and I really enjoyed having sex with her. Is it only a physical attraction that I feel toward her then? Can I not be with her in the same way that I was with Beck? _

"It's not just a phase," Jade said. "I do like Tori. I just don't know if I can be in a relationship with her."

"So what are you going to do?"

"I don't know."

They both lay there on Beck's bed in silence, thinking…thinking…


	9. Chapter 9: Unstable Jade

Chapter 9: Unstable Jade

Tori looked horrible the next day at school. Her hair was a tangled bird's nest, her eyes were red and puffy, and her face was pale and make-up-less. She had been crying all night and some this morning; she didn't want to come to school today, but it was either come or stay home and talk about her feelings with her mother. She wasn't ready to talk about Jade with her mom, so coming to school was the best option.

"Tori, you don't look too good," Andre greeted her near the lockers.

"Murr," Tori groaned in response and banged her head against a locker.

"Uh, did something happen with Jade?" he asked.

She moved her head up and down in a nod while keeping her forehead on the locker.

"I'm sorry, Tor. But I tried to warn you just like you had tried to help me. We both know she's a bitch."

Tori turned her head to look at Andre. "It's my fault. I ruined everything, and I don't even know how."

"What happened?"

In a low voice, she told him what happened last night minus the having sex with Jade part. He probably wouldn't approve of that. Even Tori couldn't believe that it had happened. One thing had just led to another, and she was powerless to stop it—no, she wanted it to happen. It would have been the best night of her life…if it hadn't ended the way that it had.

Andre nodded at what she told him. Then, he said, "Don't you think it's a little wonky that Jade would care that Beck likes someone else. I bet she still likes him."

"I thought about that. I mean, I know she still loves him. They were together for two years; it'll take a while for them to get over one another. I just don't want to be a rebound for Jade. I want what we have to be real."

Her friend put a hand on her shoulder. He didn't know what to say, and that was okay with Tori. He couldn't say anything to make her feel better anyway. They just stood in silence. It was nice.

The bell rang. "Let's just go to Sikowitz's," Tori said with a sigh. Part of her wished that Jade wouldn't be there, but another part of her wished for the exact opposite.

They made their way to the classroom and sat in the middle row. Jade wasn't there, but Beck was. He was in the front row, his arm across the back of the chair beside him, where Felicity was sitting. He was turned slightly toward her, and they were laughing. Laughing. Had Tori's failed plan actually worked? She leaned forward a little bit to eavesdrop.

"She really did that?" Felicity asked, incredulous, a laugh in her throat.

"She really did," Beck said with a laugh. "It was unbelievable."

"Wow, that is hard to believe." She giggled like a schoolgirl. Tori found it hard to believe that Felicity could giggle and be so…flirty. What was it with Beck and his ability to crack the shell of a tough persona?

"Well, you two sure are chummy," Andre said, clapping a hand on Beck's shoulder. Beck and Felicity turned to look at the dreadlocked dude and the hot mess that was Tori.

"Hey, bud," Beck said to Andre. "Tori, you're looking like…you got into a fight with Jade. Everything okay?" He kept his face straight, not wanting to reveal that he knew what had happened between the two girls. _Everything_ that had happened.

"I know," Tori said curtly. God, she should've just stayed home with her mom. All these comments on her appearance were not helpful. _Just kill me now_, she thought.

"I am going to_ kill_ you!" That exclamation preceded the raven-haired goth. Everyone in the room turned to stare at her as she stomped in. Her lips were curled up in a snarl, her nostrils were flaring, and her glare could actually kill…phew! Was Tori going to get her wish?

Cat trotted in after her, a sad puppy dog frown on her face. "You broke up. I thought it was okay. Don't hate me, Jade."

Jade hopped up onto the stage to face everyone, but she only had eyes for one person, two actually. "You hooked up with her anyway?!" she screamed at him. "You forgot to mention that little detail when I came over last night."

Tori gasped. Jade's attention shifted to her. "Yeah, that's right, Toro, I went to Beck's RV last night. And we kissed. But it seems like he has eyes for another." She glared at Felicity, who met her stare head on. "You know you're just a rebound. He could never get over me that quickly. Hell! Look at me! I'm gorgeous!" She gestured at her figure. No one could dispute her claim, but her hysterical behavior scared them. Jade always scared them.

"Jade, just stop it," Beck said with a sigh, getting up from his seat. "Yes, I am over you. I didn't hook up with Felicity last night, but I do like her. And I do still love you. Not when you're like this, though," he added when she started to look smug.

Jade's head looked close to exploding, she was so mad. No one in the room made a sound; they were all shocked into silence. Jade crossed her arms over her chest but didn't say anything else. They remained this way until Sikowitz entered the classroom…through the window, coconut in hand.

"Good morning, class," he said. "Miss West, is there a reason you are on my stage?"

"Why yes there is," Jade said in her Tori impersonation voice. "It seems there is a little drama in our acting class."

"Ooh, drama! I like drama!" Sikowitz said. He took a sip from his straw and sat down on his chair, crossing his legs. "Do continue."

"Cat, Andre, Robbie, why don't you join me on the stage." Andre made a face, Robbie gulped, and Cat jumped from her seat, giggling.

"Okay," she said. She got onto the stage with Jade. The boys joined them with less enthusiasm.

"Cat, you be Tori. Robbie, you're Beck, and Andre, you're Felicity." Jade said Felicity's name with a sneer.

"Whoa, whoa," Andre said. "Why do I have to be a girl? Why can't I be Beck?"

"Because you're black, and she's black. So it's closer to reality," Jade said.

"Oh, so why does it have to be about race? If you want to compare similarities, go with hair. Beck has great hair, and mine is just as long and as great as his." To emphasize his point, he ran a hand through his shoulder length dreads.

"Fine!" Jade shouted. "Andre, you're Beck. Robbie, you're Felicity."

Robbie opened his mouth to complain, but Jade shot him a glare. He closed his mouth.

"Alright, now everyone get in character." Jade closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Robbie shook his head and patted down his curly hair. Andre blew raspberries with his mouth and looked bored, and Cat twirled a strand of her bright red hair around her finger, swaying back and forth and looking at the ceiling, in her own little world.

"Tori," Jade said to Cat, "I know that you find me attractive. You don't look so bad yourself. When we kissed in Sikowitz's class, there was a spark. I know you know it, so come here, baby!" Jade opened her arms.

Cat giggled. "Okay!" She embraced Jade, but Jade wanted more than a hug. She held Cat tight by the hips and pulled back a little to plant a big, wet kiss on Cat's lips.

Everyone gasped including Cat. Tori's stomach turned at the sight of her girlfriend kissing another girl. She thought that it had bothered her to find out about Jade and Beck, but seeing this made her realize that that hadn't bother her too much; she'd prefer watching Beck and Jade kiss to watching Jade and Cat kiss. Why was that?

Cat knew that she had to stay in character, so she did what Tori would do. She kissed Jade back. Jade was a little surprised when Cat's tongue slipped into her mouth, but she also remained in character. The girls' kiss deepened, which Cat found herself enjoying more than she had expected. She ended it soon enough.

"Ooh, Jade," Cat said. "I love you so much. Let's be together forever."

"Oh, well, I don't know about all that," Jade said. "I still have feelings for Beck, so I can't be in a relationship right now."

"I see. You're emotionally unstable." Jade glared at Cat at that. "I guess you'll be mad that I set him up with Felicity then."

"You did what?!"

Robbie and Andre took that as their cue to speak up. Robbie grabbed Andre's hand and giggled like a little schoolgirl. Andre shot him an angry look.

"Beck, you're so wonderful," Robbie said in a high-pitched voice. Felicity snorted.

"Yeah, I know," Andre said. "Why don't we head back to my RV?"

"Ooh, Beck, you know I'm not that kind of girl." Robbie twirled a curl of his hair around his finger. "I do like you, though. A lot."

"I like you, too," Andre said in a low voice.

An ugly scowl attached itself to Jade's face, and she stalked over to Robbie and Andre.

"Well, that's too damn bad, Fe-li-ci-ty!" Jade shouted into Robbie's face. Robbie cowered. "Because he is mine!" She turned to Andre, grabbed his face, and planted a sloppy kiss on his lips. Andre's eyes widened. The kiss was wet and rough, and Andre most certainly did not like it.

"No, Jade," Cat said, her voice warbling. "I…I love you." She broke down in fake tears.

Jade stopped her assault on Andre's mouth. "And, scene," she said, looking at Sikowitz. "That's what's been going on. More or less."

Sikowitz had remained in his chair with his legs crossed, a thoughtful look on his face the whole time. Now, he met Jade's eyes. "Jade West, that was the most brilliant act I've ever seen!" He jumped up from his seat. "Write this out for me. A play it'll be, and everyone will have a part in it. Jade, you can be the lead."

"What?!" everyone in the room except Jade and Cat yelled.

Tori's face had gone white, and she was on the verge of vomiting. Jade's "performance" just now, her behavior, it was real. She was really angry with Tori, she was still in love with Beck, and she was certifiably insane. And Tori wanted more than ever to be back with her.

Sikowitz pointed at her. "Tori, you'll play yourself, of course. Have fun with this, guys." The bell rang. "Class dismissed."


End file.
